Trash Lab: Because Rope, Wrappers, and Butts are Not Created Equal

Ocean Conservancy scientists George Leonard and Carmen Yeung sort through trash found on Santa Cruz beaches to better understand what’s ending up in the ocean.

Not all trash is created equal. Why does it matter? For the person who tosses their water bottle or chip wrapper into a garbage can, maybe it doesn’t. But for the integrity and health of our waterways, beaches and ocean and its animals, it indisputably does.

Ocean Conservancy is committed to using science to better understand the trash and debris found on beaches and in waterways around the world. Our Science Team—Denny Takahashi-Kelso, Stan Senner, George Leonard, and Carmen Yeung to name a few—conducted a pilot project in Santa Cruz, CA called “Trash Lab” that tested new protocols for weighing collected marine debris so that we can better understand historical and future Cleanup data. Our research goals were to:

Find average masses for specific types of marine debris collected during the Cleanup; and

Analyze samples of unidentifiable large plastic debris and whole microplastics to determine the types of plastic found on beaches during Cleanups.

As NCEAS Scientists generate more information about the relationship between the risks/impacts and size, shape, volume and mass of debris, it will better inform our decisions to select the most appropriate measure for each type of debris. Therefore during our pilot project, our team tested different methods to weigh marine debris. If this pilot is feasible and provides new insight into our historical database of ocean trash, we’ll expand Trash Lab to sample and measure marine debris gathered during the Cleanup at three additional sites—West Coast, East Coast, and Gulf Coast.

Trash Lab is the first of many steps Ocean Conservancy has in place to deepen our understanding of the International Coastal Cleanup data, so that we continue to keep trash off the beach and stop it at its source while simultaneously enriching our knowledge of its threat to marine animals and ocean ecosystems.

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Nicholas Mallos is Director of the Trash Free Seas Program at Ocean Conservancy. His earliest memories are of waves and sandcastles on the Jersey shore and from an early age he longed to be a marine biologist. Nick has spent the past decade researching the ecological, economic and behavioral components associated with ocean plastic pollution. Nick is inspired by the ocean and by determined people around the globe who are working tirelessly to protect our blue planet. He is also an avid surfer and works hard to catch a wave wherever his travels take him. Follow him on Twitter @NickMallos.